Refill for a room deodorizer, and method of manufacturing and using the same

ABSTRACT

A refill for a flower pot type room deodorizer wherein a cake of an evaporative deodorizing gel is disposed in an inverted frustoconical type vessel removably capped at the top end and comprised of an inner windowed shell and an outer windowed coaxial housing within which said shell is rotatable from a first position, wherein the windows of the shell and said housing are in register, to a second position wherein none of said windows is in register. This refill may be constituted of an inverted frustoconical flexible walled cuplike container in which is disposed a frusto-conical cake of deodorizing gel with the bottom of the gel cake spaced from the bottom of the container in order to provide an air pocket intermediate the lower end of the cake and the bottom of the container. The refill container is closed by a cap removably secured over the top edges of the container. This refill is manufactured by first pouring the deodorizer, in the form of a liquid which will gel upon standing, to a level below the top edges of the container, capping the container and turning it over so that the liquid flows down away from the bottom of the container and an air pocket is entrapped between the top level of the liquid and the bottom wall of the container. After the liquid gels in such disposition, the container may be returned to its original position. In order to use this refill, the container cap is removed and placed on a horizontal surface. The container is then inverted and the flexible wall around the air pocket is squeezed, thereby ejecting the gel cake onto the container cap. The cap may then be lifted and the gel cake deposited into the deodorizer vessel after the top cover on the latter has been removed.

United States Patent [191 Levey Dec. 31, 1974 John S. Levey, Westlake Village, Calif.

[73] Assignee: Days-Ease Home Products Corporation, North Hollywood, Calif.

22 Filed: Jan. 21, 1974 21 Appl. No.: 434,851

[75] Inventor:

[52] US. Cl 239/34, 239/59, 239/60 [51] Int. Cl. A24f 25/00, A611 9/04 [58] Field of Search 239/34, 53, 54-60; 53/35-37, 122

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,247,600 7/1941 Brennan et al. 239/57 2,564,860 8/1951 Ryberg 239/54 2,708,595 5/1955 Ludwig 239/59 X 3,032,915 5/1962 Giroud-Abel... 239/57 X 3,261,746 7/1966 Copley 239/54 X 3,400,890 9/1968 Gould 239/60 X 3,754,707 8/1973 Morane.... 239/59 Primary Examiner-Robcrt S. Ward, Jr. Attorney, Agent, or Firm-William H. Pavitt, Jr.

[57] ABSTRACT A refill for a flower pot type room deodorizer wherein a cake of an evaporative deodorizing gel is disposed in an inverted frusto-conical type vessel removably capped at the top end and comprised of an inner windowed shell and an outer windowed coaxial housing within which said shell is rotatable from a first position, wherein the windows of the shell and said housing are in register, to a second position wherein none of said windows is in register. This refill may be constituted of an inverted frusto-conical flexible walled cuplike container in which is disposed a frusto-conical cake of deodorizing gel with the bottom of the gel cake spaced from the bottom of the container in order to provide an air pocket intermediate the lower end of the cake and the bottom of the container. The refill container is closed by a cap removably secured over the top edges of the containeryThis refill is manufactured by first pouring the deodorizer, in the form of a liquidwhich will gel upon standing, to a level below the top edges of the container, capping the container and turning it over so that the liquid flows down away from the bottom of the container and an air pocket is entrapped between the top level of the liquid and the bottom wall of the container. After the liquid gels in such disposition, the container may be returned to its original position. In order to use this refill, the container cap is removed and placed on a horizontal surface. The container is then inverted and the flexible wall around the air pocket is squeezed, thereby ejecting the gel cake onto the container cap. The cap may then be lifted and the gel cake deposited into the deodorizer vessel after the top cover on the latter has been removed.

4 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures PATENTEUBEEB 1 4 3. e57, 512

SHEET 1 UF 2 PATENTEDUEC3 1 I914 SHEU 2 BF 2 REFILL FOR A ROOM DEODORIZER, AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING AND USING THE SAME BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION v 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates toroom deodorizers of the type which utilize a cake of an evaporative gel, and is particularly directed to providing a refill for such a room deodorizer which is in the form of a flower pot of an inverted frusto-conical type vessel.

2. Description of the Prior Art In my copending application Ser. No. 363,810 filed May 25, 1973 and now U.S. Pat. No. 3,804,331, there is disclosed and claimed a room deodorizer which is in the form of simulated flower pot in which is housed a cake of an evaporative deodorizing gel. This flower pot actually comprises an inverted frusto-conical type vessel removably capped at the top and comprised of an inner windowed shell and an outer windowed coaxial housing within which said shell is rotatable from a first position, wherein the windows in the shell and the housing are in register, to a second position wherein none of said windows is in register. Although room deodorizers of this type have only been on the market since August 1972, the demand for this decorative type room deodorizer has been so great that it has been difficult to fill all orders for the same. Already about 14 million of these deodorizers have been sold.

The deodorizer cake, when the windows are in register, may last approximately thirty days before it has completely evaporated into the room space surrounding the unit. However, housewives have found the containing flower pot so attractive that they have been reluctant to dispose of this flower pot after the gel cake has evaporated and the unit no longer acts as a deodorizer. A great demand therefore has arisen for refills for this deodorizer.

These flower pot type vessels could be refilled by providing a gelling liquid to be poured into the inner shell of the vessel when the windows thereof disposed are out of register with the windows of the outer coaxial housing. One problem here is that the liquid would tend to flow in between the inner shell and outer housing and leak, or at least, fill the window recesses in the inner shell to contact the outer housing wall, thereby making, after the liquid has gelled, it most difiicult to rotate the housings relative to each other. In addition, the necessity of having a housewife pour the gellable liquid deodorizer into the flower pot vessel could give rise to other problems, such as having to handle the liquid when it is at an elevated temperature, preventing spilling, and keeping the pot out of the reach of children before the liquid has gelled.

Another possibility for a refill, would be to provide a cake in some kind of a cellophane wrapping which cake could be simply placed in the empty inner shell of the flower pot. However, this would require the cakes first to be molded in suitable shaped molds and then packaged at increased expense. In use, unwrapping by the housewife and dumping the cake into the flower pot container could be both a messy and irritating experience.

Thus, there have heretofore been no suitable refills for such deodorizers or method of making the same.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a flower pot room deodorizer of the type which when empty is to be refilled.

FIG. 2 is a similar sectional view to that of FIG. I, showing the inner shell having been emptied of the gel cake and upper closure plate removed.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a cup-like container partially filled with liquid gel in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows the cup of FIG. 3 inverted while the gel is still in liquid form.

FIG. 5 is similar to FIG. 4 but showing the manner in which the liquid has settled before gelling.

FIG. 6 is similar to FIG. 3 but showing the disposition of the cake after it has firmed up during the containers inversion as shown in FIG. 5 and its subsequent return to its upright position.

FIG. 7 shows the manner in which pressure is applied to the lower area of the flexible side wall of the container to eject the gel cake onto the cover.

FIG. 8 shows the deposit of the gel caKe on the cover.

FIG. 9 shows the flowerpot container of FIG. 2 being placed over the gel cake.

FIG. 10 shows the manner in which the gel cake is disposed in the flower pot container after refilling, and being recapped for further use.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring to FIG. 1, a double walled container I0 such as is disclosed in copending application Ser. No. 363,810 is filled with a deodorizing gel 12, which, after a certain period of use, will evaporate so that the container will appear as shown in FIG. 2. In order to refill the container, the circular cover 14 may be removed from the top of the container 10, thereby preparing it for the insertion in its cavity 15 of a replacement gel cake 16 as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10.

The replacement gel cake I6 is prepared by pouring a liquid 18 into a flexible walled cup-like container 20 to a height approximately 4/5 that of the total fillahle height Y of the container, thereby leaving a space 22 between the top level of the liquid 18 and the rim 24 of the frusto-conical wall 26 of the cup-like container 20. After such filling, a cover 28 is snapped on to the rim of the wall 26 effectively sealing the liquid 18 within the space defined by the cup 20 and its cover 28. Thereupon the cup 20 is inverted as shown in FIG. 4 so that the liquid 18 tends to flow onto the cover 28 and to reach a level 30 as shown in FIG. 5. In reaching this level 30, the air which occupies the space 22 in FIG. 3, flows upwardly in the direction of the arrows 32 and ultimately occupies the space 34 as shown in FIG. 5. The container 20 with its liquid 18 and air space 34 is left in the inverted FIG. 5 position for a sufficiently long period of time, that the liquid 18 gels to constitute a firm cake 16 which is incapable of movement within the walls 26 of the container 20 except when forced out by air pressure as hereafter explained. Consequently, when the container 20 is again returned from the inverted position shown in FIG. 5 to its upright position of FIG. 6, the now firmed up cake 16 will remain in the disposition shown in FIG. 6 with the air pocket 34 disposed below the cake I6.

When it is desired to remove the cake 16 in order to refill a deodorizer conatiner 10, the cover 28 is first snapped off the rim 24 of the wall 26 of the container cup 20 and the cover is laid on a horizontal surface 36. The container 20 is now inverted again as shown in FIG. 7 and the flexible wall 26 is squeezed in the lower area 26a in the manner shown in FIG. 7. This squeezing creates a slight pressure build up in the air pocket 34 to develop a force in the direction of the arrows 37, which results in the ejection of the cake 16 onto the cover 28 as shown in FIG. 8.

At this point, the empty container 10 of FIG. 2 may be inverted and placed over the cake 16. The cover 28 is then lifted up with the container 10 and both are turned over so that the cake 16 seats in its container 10 as shown in FIG. 10. The cake 16 will thus be found to be properly disposed in the container 10 so that the cover 14 may be replaced on the conatiner 10. The deodorizer is thereby refilled and readied for further use in the manner disclosed in said application Ser. No. 363,810.

Alternatively, the cover 28 with the cake 16 disposed upon it as shown in FIG. 9 may be quickly flipped over and dropped into the container 10 as it is disposed in an upright position shown in FIG. 2.

It will thus be found that a suitable replacement cake of deodorizing gel may be conveniently prepared and packaged for practical and easy ejection and insertion by a housewife in a flower pot container type deodorizer of said application Ser. No. 363,810.

I claim:

1. A refill for a flower pot type room deodorizer wherein a cake of an evaporative deodorizing gel is disposed in an inverted frusto-conical type vessel removably capped at the top end and comprised of an inner windowed shell and an outer windowed co-axial housing within which said shell is rotatable from a first position wherein the windows in the shell and said housing are in register, to a second position wherein none of said windows is in register, said refill comprising:

A. an inverted frusto-conical flexible walled cup-like container, said container having at least a portion of its inside dimensions corresponding to at least a substantial portion of the inside dimensions of said shell;

B. a frusto-conical cake of deodorizing gel, said cake being disposed within said container with the lowermost end of said cake spaced from the bottom of said container thereby to provide an air pocket intermediate said lower end of the cake and the bottom of the container; and

C. a closure member removably secured over the top edges of said container,

whereby, when said container is removed and placed on a horizontal surface and the thus-filled container is inverted and held over said closure and its flexible wall defining said air pocket is squeezed, the cake will be ejected from the container onto said closure so that it may then be inserted in said shell when the vessel cap is removed, and will be seated in a close fit in said shell.

2. The method of manufacturing a refill for a flower pot type room deodorizer and refilling such a deodorizer wherein a cakeof an evaporative deodorizing gel is disposed in an inverted frusto-conical type vessel removably capped at the top end and, comprised of an inner windowed shell and an outer windowed co-axial housing within which said shell is rotatable from a first position wherein the windows in the shell and said housing are in register, to a second position wherein none of said windows is in register, said method comprising the steps of:

A. pouring a gelling liquid of a deodorizer composition into an inverted frusto-conical flexible walled cup-like container, said container having at least a portion of its inside dimensions corresponding to at least a substantial portion of the inside dimensions of said shell; but in so pouring said liquid, leaving a space between the level of said liquid and the upper edge of the container wall;

B. capping said container with a removable closure fitting tightly enough on said upper edge of the container wall to prevent leakage of said liquid from said container when the container is inverted after such filling thereof;

C. inverting said thus filled and capped container and leaving it in such inverted position long enough to (i) permit air to pass up around and through said liquid to become entrapped in a space between the level of said liquid and the inverted bottom wall of said container, and (ii) permit said liquid to gel into a firm cake; and

D. thereafter returning said container to its uninverted position,

whereby, when refilling of said vessel is to be accomplished, after its cap is removed, the container closure is also first removed and placed on a horizontal surface, the thus-filled container is inverted and held over said closure, and the flexible wall of said container defining said air pocket is squeezed, thereby ejecting the cake from the container onto said closure so that the cake may then be deposited into the vessel, whereupon the vessel cap may be replaced.

3. A refill for an inverted frusto-conical vessel, such as one of a flower pot configuration, wherein a cake of an evaporative gel is dispoed in such vessel, said refill comprising:

A. an inverted frusto-conical flexible walled cup-like container, said container having at least a portion of its inside dimensions corresponding to at least a substantial portion of the inside dimensions of said vessel;

B. a frusto-conical cake of evaporative gel, said cake being disposed within said container with the lower most end of said cake spaced from the bottom of said container thereby to provide an air pocket intermediate said lower end of the cake and the bottom of the container; and

C. a closure member removably secured over the top edges of said container,

whereby, when said container is removed and placed on a horizontal surface and the thus-filled container is inverted and held over said closure and its flexible wall defining said air pocket is squeezed, the cake will be ejected from the container onto said closure so that it may then be inserted in said vessel when the top of the vessel is open, an said cake will be seated in a close fit in said vessel.

4. The method of manufacturing a refill for an opentop, inverted, frusto-conical vessel, such as one of a flower pot configuration, and refilling such vessel,

wherein a cake of an evaporative gel is disposed in such vessel, said method comprising the steps of A. pouring a gelling liquid of a suitable composition into an inverted frusto-conical flexible walled cuplike container, said container having at least a portion of its inside dimensions corresponding to at least a substantial portion of the inside dimensions of said vessel; but in so pouring said liquid, leaving a space between the level of said liquid and the upper edge of the container wall;

B. capping said container with a removable closure fitting tightly enough on said upper edge of the container wall to prevent leakage of said liquid from said container when the container is inverted after such filling thereof;

C. inverting said thus-filled and capped container and leaving it in such inverted position long enough to (i) permit air to pass up around and through said liquid to become entrapped in a space between the level of said liquid and the inverted bottom wall of said container, and (ii) permit said liquid to gel into a firm cake; and

D. thereafter returning said container to its preinverted position;

whereby, when refilling of said vessel is to be accomplished, the container closure is first removed and placed on a horizontal surface, the thusfilled container is inverted and held over said closure, and the flexible wall of said container defining said air pocket is squeezed, thereby ejecting the cake from the container onto said closure so that the cake may then be deposited into the vessel. 

1. A refill for a flower pot type room deodorizer wherein a cake of an evaporative deodorizing gel is disposed in an inverted frusto-conical type vessel removably capped at the top end and comprised of an inner windowed shell and an outer windowed coaxial housing within which said shell is rotatable from a first position wherein the windows in the shell and said housing are in register, to a second position wherein none of said windows is in register, said refill comprising: A. an inverted frusto-conical flexible walled cup-like container, said container having at least a portion of its inside dimensions corresponding to at least a substantial portion of the inside dimensions of said shell; B. a frusto-conical cake of deodorizing gel, said cake being disposed within said container with the lowermost end of said cake spaced from the bottom of said container thereby to provide an air pocket intermediate said lower end of the cake and the bottom of the container; and C. a closure member removably secured over the top edges of said container, whereby, when said container is removed and placed on a horizontal surface and the thus-filled container is inverted and held over said closure and its flexible wall defining said air pocket is squeezed, the cake will be ejected from the container onto said closure so that it may then be inserted in said shell when the vessel cap is removed, and will be seated in a close fit in said shell.
 2. The method of manufacturing a refill for a flower pot type room deodorizer and refilling sUch a deodorizer wherein a cake of an evaporative deodorizing gel is disposed in an inverted frusto-conical type vessel removably capped at the top end and, comprised of an inner windowed shell and an outer windowed co-axial housing within which said shell is rotatable from a first position wherein the windows in the shell and said housing are in register, to a second position wherein none of said windows is in register, said method comprising the steps of: A. pouring a gelling liquid of a deodorizer composition into an inverted frusto-conical flexible walled cup-like container, said container having at least a portion of its inside dimensions corresponding to at least a substantial portion of the inside dimensions of said shell; but in so pouring said liquid, leaving a space between the level of said liquid and the upper edge of the container wall; B. capping said container with a removable closure fitting tightly enough on said upper edge of the container wall to prevent leakage of said liquid from said container when the container is inverted after such filling thereof; C. inverting said thus filled and capped container and leaving it in such inverted position long enough to (i) permit air to pass up around and through said liquid to become entrapped in a space between the level of said liquid and the inverted bottom wall of said container, and (ii) permit said liquid to gel into a firm cake; and D. thereafter returning said container to its uninverted position, whereby, when refilling of said vessel is to be accomplished, after its cap is removed, the container closure is also first removed and placed on a horizontal surface, the thus-filled container is inverted and held over said closure, and the flexible wall of said container defining said air pocket is squeezed, thereby ejecting the cake from the container onto said closure so that the cake may then be deposited into the vessel, whereupon the vessel cap may be replaced.
 3. A refill for an inverted frusto-conical vessel, such as one of a flower pot configuration, wherein a cake of an evaporative gel is dispoed in such vessel, said refill comprising: A. an inverted frusto-conical flexible walled cup-like container, said container having at least a portion of its inside dimensions corresponding to at least a substantial portion of the inside dimensions of said vessel; B. a frusto-conical cake of evaporative gel, said cake being disposed within said container with the lower most end of said cake spaced from the bottom of said container thereby to provide an air pocket intermediate said lower end of the cake and the bottom of the container; and C. a closure member removably secured over the top edges of said container, whereby, when said container is removed and placed on a horizontal surface and the thus-filled container is inverted and held over said closure and its flexible wall defining said air pocket is squeezed, the cake will be ejected from the container onto said closure so that it may then be inserted in said vessel when the top of the vessel is open, an said cake will be seated in a close fit in said vessel.
 4. The method of manufacturing a refill for an open-top, inverted, frusto-conical vessel, such as one of a flower pot configuration, and refilling such vessel, wherein a cake of an evaporative gel is disposed in such vessel, said method comprising the steps of A. pouring a gelling liquid of a suitable composition into an inverted frusto-conical flexible walled cup-like container, said container having at least a portion of its inside dimensions corresponding to at least a substantial portion of the inside dimensions of said vessel; but in so pouring said liquid, leaving a space between the level of said liquid and the upper edge of the container wall; B. capping said container with a removable closure fitting tightly enough on said upper edge of the container wall to prevent leakage of said liquid from said container when the conTainer is inverted after such filling thereof; C. inverting said thus-filled and capped container and leaving it in such inverted position long enough to (i) permit air to pass up around and through said liquid to become entrapped in a space between the level of said liquid and the inverted bottom wall of said container, and (ii) permit said liquid to gel into a firm cake; and D. thereafter returning said container to its pre-inverted position; whereby, when refilling of said vessel is to be accomplished, the container closure is first removed and placed on a horizontal surface, the thus-filled container is inverted and held over said closure, and the flexible wall of said container defining said air pocket is squeezed, thereby ejecting the cake from the container onto said closure so that the cake may then be deposited into the vessel. 